Radio communication systems with integrated location-based measurements for diagnostics and performance optimization

ABSTRACT

A radio communication system includes at least one receive antenna for receiving communication signals, processing circuitry for processing the received communication signals and repeating the signals for further transmission, and at least one transmit antenna for transmitting the repeated signals. The processing circuitry is operable for receiving an input regarding the current geographic location of the communication system. The processing circuitry is further capable of recording measurements and data regarding the operation and use of the radio communication system and its operating environment including where and when the measurements and data were taken. The processing circuitry further provides a user interface and capabilities to analyze and visualize the recorded information to diagnose problems and optimize performance. Additionally, the recorded information can be transmitted to a remote server where can be used to determine optimal operational settings for other radio communication systems when they are operating in the same location where the measurements were taken, and these operational settings can be transmitted to these other radio communications systems prior to their use in these locations.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in part of and claims the filingbenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/427,347 to Thomas Kummetzentitled “System for Automatic Configuration of a Mobile CommunicationSystem” and filed on Apr. 21, 2009, which application is incorporated byreference in its entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to radio communication systems, such asrepeaters and distributed antenna systems generally as well as, morespecifically, to communication systems for mobile radios that operate ina mobile environment having changing conditions and changing locations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Repeaters, distributed antenna systems, and similar systems arecommunications systems that are used to extend wireless coverage intoareas where the radio signals from base stations (BTS) are often veryattenuated or absent. Those areas might be inside buildings, in tunnels,located in shadowed areas that are behind mountains or in undergroundtrain systems, as well as other isolated areas. Generally, applicationsfor such communications systems involve installations where the repeateror distributed antenna system is immobile and is mounted in a permanentlocation. That is, it is a fixed installation.

In other applications, the area that has limited penetration of the RFsignals is mobile. That is, the repeater or distributed antenna systemis installed in a moving or mobile system such as a train, a ship, acar, a bus or an airplane. This application presents unique performanceissues not encountered in fixed installations.

When a repeater or distributed antenna systems (DAS system) is used in amobile application, the environment in which it is operating isconstantly changing. As the repeater or DAS system moves throughdifferent areas, the wanted and unwanted signals processed by therepeater or DAS system change in level as it nears and then moves awayfrom the sources of those signals. Additionally, the signals processedby the repeater or DAS system can change in frequency as the systempasses in and out of the range of different signal sources. Repeatersand DAS systems used in these environments are designed to accommodatethese changes, but certain combinations of signals at specific locationsmay cause a system to function poorly.

Another unique characteristic of mobile applications of repeaters or DASsystems is the rate at which its operating environment can change. Infixed installations, the environment is usually quite static and anychanges can be accommodated through slow adaptation of the repeater orDAS system. However, in mobile installations the signal environment canbe very dynamic, and the conditions that require modified operation mayexist for only a short period of time. Therefore, a repeater or DASsystem used in a mobile installation must adapt very rapidly if it needsto accommodate those changes. Typically, a repeater or DAS system adaptsits operation in a reactive manner. In other words, it modifies itsoperation after it detects the conditions that require a change in itsoperation. Operating in a reactive manner in slowly changingenvironments is acceptable, but in rapidly changing mobile environmentsoperating in a reactive manner can lead to poor performance because thecondition may have come and gone before the system is able to react tothe change and to modify its operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An integrated measurement and analysis system for radio repeaters anddistributed antenna systems that utilizes location data and otherinformation to enhance the diagnostic and optimization capabilities ofrepeaters and distributed antenna systems used in mobile installationsis provided. The system includes a controller that continuouslydetermines the current geographic location of the system from an input.The controller records the location of the system along with othermeasurements taken at that location. The resulting database oflocation-dependent measurements facilitates the diagnosis of locationspecific performance issues and improves the ability of the system tooptimize its performance while in these different locations.

Embodiments of the invention integrate the measurement and analysismeans along with location information to detect the presence of, anddiagnose the source of, location-specific performance problems whenrepeaters or DAS systems are used in mobile applications. Embodiments ofthe invention improve the performance of a repeater or DAS system usedin a mobile environment by implementing mechanisms to maintain ahistorical database of past operating conditions at different locations,thereby allowing the repeater or DAS system to anticipate theenvironmental conditions in a particular area prior to entering thatarea, enabling the repeater or DAS system to proactively adapt itsoperation as it enters that area instead of reactively waiting untilafter entering that area. In addition to storing the location-basedhistorical information in a local database, it can also be transmittedto a central system that serves other mobile repeaters and/or DASsystems that will operate in the same areas, enabling those devices toanticipate the operating conditions in areas in which they have notalready operated.

In one specific embodiment, a communication system is provided thatincludes at least one receive antenna for receiving communicationsignals and processing circuitry for processing the receivedcommunication signals. The system further comprises at least onetransmit antenna for transmitting the processed signals. The processingcircuitry utilizes at least one configurable setting in the processingof the received communication signals, each configurable setting beingadaptable for varying the operation of the processing. The processingcircuitry is operable to receive information regarding a currentgeographical location of the system and selectively adapt the at leastone configurable setting of the system based upon the current locationinformation.

In another specific embodiment, a communication system is provided thatincludes at least one receive antenna for receiving communicationsignals, processing circuitry for processing the received communicationsignals, and at least one transmit antenna for transmitting theprocessed signals. The processing circuitry is operable to log dataassociated with the received communication signals and the transmittedprocessed signals in at least one temporal log file, then continue thelogging a predetermined amount of time after detecting a faultassociated with the system. The processing circuitry is further operableto store the data in the at least one temporal log file into at leastone log file in response to the detection of the fault.

These and other advantages will be apparent in light of the followingfigures and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above and thedetailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explainthe principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile communication system for use in a mobileenvironment having an adaptive mobile system consistent with embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating the components of one embodiment of anadaptive mobile system configured in the mobile communication system ofFIG. 1:

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the components of an alternativeembodiment of an adaptive mobile system configured in the mobilecommunication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to capturesignal characteristic data with the adaptive mobile system of FIG. 1, aswell as display that signal characteristic data relative to location;

FIG. 4 is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information abouta signal characteristic of a signal captured by the adaptive mobilesystem of FIG. 1 in relation to location;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to filterdata for specific signal characteristics gathered by the adaptive mobilesystem of FIG. 1 and display information associated with that filtereddata to a user;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to filterdata for a specific location associated with the adaptive mobile systemof FIG. 1 and display information associated with that filteredlocation;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations toselectively activate logging in the adaptive mobile system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations toselectively activate logging in the adaptive mobile system of FIG. 1based upon that system's location;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations toselectively activate logging in the adaptive mobile system of FIG. 1based upon detect a fault therein;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicatean error or raise an alarm based upon input and output signalcharacteristics of signals associated with the adaptive mobile system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicatean error or raise an alarm based upon a signal characteristic of asignal as well as a comparison of that signal characteristic to apreviously determined signal characteristic of a previous signalassociated with the adaptive mobile system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information aboutlocations detected by the adaptive mobile system of FIG. 1, as well assignal characteristics of signals associated with those locations;

FIG. 13 is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view informationassociated with the mobile communication system of FIG. 1, andparticularly at least one adaptive mobile system thereof;

FIG. 14 is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view informationassociated with one adaptive mobile system of the mobile communicationsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view informationassociated with a plurality of adaptive mobile systems of the mobilecommunication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicateor make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of theadaptive mobile system of FIG. 1 in advance to an expected event and/orcondition;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicateor make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of theadaptive mobile system of FIG. 1 in advance to at least one signalcharacteristic of a signal detected by that adaptive mobile system andan expected event and/or condition;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicateor make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of theadaptive mobile system of FIG. 1 in response to a mapping of signalcharacteristics and/or the known location of at least one base station;and

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to identifyhot spots and optimize the change of configurable settings of theadaptive mobile system of FIG. 1 in response to such identification.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarilyto scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of the basic principles of embodiments of theinvention. The specific design features of embodiments of the inventionas disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions,orientations, locations, and shapes of various illustrated components,as well as specific sequences of operations (e.g., including concurrentand/or sequential operations), will be determined in part by theparticular intended application and use environment. Certain features ofthe illustrated embodiments may have been enlarged or distorted relativeto others to facilitate visualization and clear understanding.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hardware and Software Environment

Turning to the drawings, wherein like numbers denote like partsthroughout the several views, FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplarymobile communication system 10 that includes at least one adaptivesystem 12 in a mobile installation, such as an adaptive mobile repeateror an adaptive mobile distributed antenna system, for example, tofacilitate communication between one or more base stations 14 and one ormore mobile devices 16 that are in use in a mobile platform or movingenvironment, such as a train 18 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Although theadaptive mobile system 12 is shown on a train 18, the adaptive mobilesystem 12 (hereinafter, “system” 12) may be disposed in any otherappropriate mobile environment, such as in a plane, ship, or automotivevehicle.

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic illustration of components of one embodimentof a system 12 a (hereinafter, “repeater” 12 a). The repeater 12 aincludes a donor antenna 20 that communicates (e.g., transmits,receives, and/or transceives signals) with one or more base stations 14.The repeater 12 a further includes a coverage antenna 22 thatcommunicates signals with one or more mobile devices 16 in the mobileenvironment (e.g., inside the compartments of train cars). The coverageantenna 22 consists of one or more antennas that are coupled through asignal splitter and/or combiner. Another form of the coverage antenna 22is a leaky feeder cable as it is frequently used in confined areas suchas tunnels, buildings, etc.

In some embodiments, the repeater 12 a includes at least one controller24 a coupled to a memory 26. Each controller 24 a is typicallyimplemented in hardware using circuit logic disposed on one or morephysical integrated circuit devices or chips. Each controller 24 a maybe one or more microprocessors, micro-controllers, field programmablegate arrays, or ASICs, while memory 26 may include random access memory(RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory(SRAM), flash memory, and/or another digital storage medium. Memory 26is also typically implemented using circuit logic disposed on one ormore physical integrated circuit devices, or chips. As such, memory 26may be considered to include memory storage physically located elsewherein the repeater 12 a, e.g., any cache memory in the controller 24 a, aswell as any storage capacity used as a virtual memory, e.g., as storedon a mass storage device (not shown) coupled to the controller 24 a.

The controller 24 a, in some embodiments, is configured to capture andrecord information associated with either the repeater 12 a and/or theat least one base station 14, and to use this information to maintain orselectively vary or adapt the settings of the repeater 12 a. Forexample, and in response to the captured information, the controller 24a may adjust the power and/or attenuation of the signals received by thedonor antenna 20 and/or coverage antenna 22. Moreover, and also inresponse to the captured information, the controller 24 a may adjust afilter to amplify and/or attenuate the signals received and/orcommunicated by the donor antenna 20 and/or coverage antenna 22. In someembodiments, the controller 24 a is further configured to store thecaptured information in the memory 26. Such information may include thepower of signals received and/or communicated by the repeater 12 a, thequality of signals received and/or communicated by the repeater 12 a,the frequency of signals received and/or communicated by the repeater 12a, the signal types received and/or communicated by the repeater 12 a,the particular networks the repeater 12 a is communicating on, anidentity of a base station 14 the repeater 12 a is communicating with,the location of the base station 14 the repeater 12 a is communicatingwith, the location of the repeater 12 a when data is captured, the timethat the information is captured, the usage of the repeater 12 a (e.g.,the number of mobile devices 16 currently utilizing the repeater 12 a tocommunicate), and/or a identification of the repeater 12 a (e.g., aserial number, a model number, a network identifier), as well as othermobile environment information, mobile network information, and/or otherinformation. In alternative embodiments, the repeater 12 a may notreceive an indication of the location of a base station 14. Rather, therepeater 12 a may self-determine the position of the base station 14based on other captured information and/or a pre-configured indicationof such a location.

In exemplary embodiments, the controller 24 a communicates with at leastone external device, peripheral device, and/or data source using atleast one appropriate interface 28. In particular, the repeater 12 a isconfigured to receive data through at least one user interface 36(including, for example, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, and/or other userinterface) and/or output data through at least one output device 32(including, for example, at least one display, speakers, and/or anotheroutput device). Additionally and/or alternatively, the repeater 12 a isconfigured to receive data from, and transmit data to, at least onecomputing system 37. In particular, the computing system 37 isconfigured to receive the output data from the repeater 12 a and displayit in a web-based interface, such as a web browser. Similarly, thecomputing system 37 is configured to accept user input in the webbrowser and provide that input data to the repeater 12 a.

In some embodiments, the repeater 12 a is configured to receive locationdata from at least one location identifying device, such as a globalnavigation satellite system receiver, and more particularly a GPSreceiver device 34, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. In further specificembodiments, the repeater 12 a is configured to receive data fromadditional measurement devices, such as clocks and/or speedometers, aswell as temperature, humidity, altitude, and/or other measurementdevices that may be associated with the mobile environment and/or anoutdoor environment. As such, those measurement devices may alsocommunicate with the repeater 12 a through the interface 28. Althoughnot illustrated, a network interface—such as for a local area network(e.g., a wired network) or short-area wireless network (e.g., an 802.xxstandard wireless network)—or another peripheral interface (e.g., a USBinterface) may be coupled to, or incorporated in, the at least oneinterface 28 (e.g., to communicate with the computing system 37). Assuch, information collected by the repeater 12 a may be downloaded fromthe repeater 12 a, or information uploaded to the repeater 12 a. Forexample, and not intended to be limiting, such information may includerepeater configuration data, a database that includes base stationinformation and more specifically their location information, as well asother system 10 parameter, software, and firmware data.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the repeater 12 a is configured tocommunicate with both a user interface 36 and an output device 32. Inalternative embodiments, the repeater 12 a is configured to receive andoutput data through a device that is operative as a user interface andoutput device in combination, such as a touch screen display (notshown). Also as illustrated in FIG. 2A, the repeater 12 a is configuredto communicate with a location determining device, such as the GPSreceiver device 34. In alternative embodiments, the GPS receiver device34, another global navigation satellite system receiver, or anotherlocation determining device, is incorporated within the repeater 12 aand/or directly connects to the controller 24 a.

In exemplary embodiments, the memory 26 of the repeater 12 a isconfigured with program code to provide user interface components on theoutput device 32. As such, this graphical user interface (“GUI”) programcode 38 may allow for a user to input or output data to the repeater 12a, as well as allow the user to configure the settings of the repeater12 a (e.g., such as to instruct the system 12 a to selectively gatherinformation). It will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in theart that the memory 26 may be configured with additional program code toimplement embodiments of the invention.

In exemplary embodiments, the repeater 12 a further includes at leastone automatic gain control circuit 39 (illustrated as, and hereinafter,“AGC” 39), or at least one alternative signal characteristicmodification circuit, to modify the power, modify the gain, filter,modulate, or otherwise adjust at least one signal characteristic of atleast one received and/or transmitted signal. In this manner, thecontroller 24 a is configured to dynamically change the configurablesettings of the repeater 12 a to react to current and/or futureconditions.

FIG. 2B is a diagrammatic illustration of components of an alternativeembodiment of an adaptive mobile system 12 b in the form of adistributed antenna system (hereinafter, “distributed system” 12 b),wherein the distributed system 12 b operates as a master unit, or hub,to communication with a plurality of remote coverage antennas orcoverage antenna units 22 a-22 c. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, thedistributed system 12 b includes a controller 24 b configured to controlappropriate interface circuitry 40 for handling signals associated withthe plurality of coverage antennas 22 a-22 c to operate the distributedsystem 12 b as is known in the art. As such, controller 24 b is only beconfigured to receive signals from base stations 14 on the donor antenna20, process the signals, and transmit a plurality of signals on theplurality of coverage antennas 22 a-22 c, but the controller 24 is alsoconfigured to dynamically change the configurable settings of thedistributed system 12 b to react to current and/or future conditions

Embodiments of the invention advantageously provide location informationto all data and signal characteristics, enabling a user to determine thelocation of a system 12 (e.g., either a repeater 12 a or a distributedsystem 12 b) and to reference that location to determine faults, errors,and/or other information within the context of the location.Advantageously, as location determination functionality is integratedinto the system 12, extra and/or after-market equipment does not need tobe attached to the system 12, and the system 12 gathers the informationas part of its normal logging routines.

Thus, embodiments of the invention utilize location information from aGPS receiver device 34 or other source of location information to tagall measurements with the location of the base station 14 and/or system12 when the measurement or other type of data is recorded in one or morelog files. Additionally, these measurements are time stamped, as istypically done with measurement data.

In some embodiments, the location data and the measurement data arestored in separate files. By maintaining a common time reference orsynchronized time references, the location of the base station 14 orsystem 12 when each measurement was taken can be determined.

Data recorded by the system 12 may be utilized to generate plots,graphs, and other representations of the data by the repeater, orotherwise exported for analysis or display by the computing system 37.Specifically, when measurements are viewed by the user, the locationinformation can be used to enhance the data visualization thereof. Forexample, the location of the base station 14 or the route of the system12 can be displayed via a two dimensional representation, and themagnitude of measurement data can be reflected by changing the color ofa line that represents that route. Alternatively, a three dimensionalrepresentation can be used, with the X and Y axes used for the latitudeand longitude of the route, and the Z axis used for the magnitude of themeasurement data. In that way, and in accordance with the invention,system performance may be monitored and analyzed and problems can bediagnosed and isolated. For example, if system performance degrades, thelocation information may be used to determine if the system 12 presentsthe problem or if an external base station 14 presents the problem, orboth, for example.

For example, the information captured by the system 12 includes thesystem's geographical location. For diagnostic purposes, the system 12also captures indications of the quality of signals received from theone or more base stations 14 (e.g., the power, the gain, the frequency,the number of signals, the carrier-to-interference ratio or “C/I”, theerror vector magnitude or “EVM”, the modulation error ratio or “MER”,the beacon type), the geographical location of the base station 14, thecell global identifier (or “CGI”) of the base station 14, indications ofthe quality of signals sent to one or more mobile devices 16 (e.g., thepower, the gain, the frequency, the number of signals, thecarrier-to-interference ratio, the error vector magnitude, themodulation error ratio, the beacon type), indications of the quality ofsignals received from one or more mobile devices 16 (e.g., the power,the gain, the frequency, the number of signals, thecarrier-to-interference ratio, the error vector magnitude, themodulation error ratio, the beacon type), indications of the quality ofsignals sent to the one or more base stations 14 (e.g., the power, thegain, the frequency, the number of signals, the carrier-to-interferenceratio, the error vector magnitude, the modulation error ratio, thebeacon type). In turn, the CGI of the base station may include themobile country code (MCC), the mobile network code (MNC), and/or cellidentifier (CI) associated with the base station 14). Furthermore,information regarding a group to which that system 12 is assigned isalso captured. The speed of the mobile environment is also captured.Additionally, the system 12 may be configured to determine informationassociated with the environment inside and/or outside the mobileenvironment (e.g., including the temperature, humidity, and/or altitudethereof). Inasmuch as capturing a beacon type (e.g. GSM, CDMA, UMTS), orbeacon protocol information (e.g., BCCH, MNC, MCC, CID, BCC, NCC), thesystem 12 may be configured to determine both the beacon types ofsignals it processes (e.g., signal types for which the system 12 isconfigured to receive and/or transmit) as well as the beacon types ofsignals it doesn't process (e.g., signal types for which the system 12is not configured).

For example, FIG. 3 is a flowchart 100 illustrating a sequence ofoperations to display data associated with the system 12 along a routeof the system 12. In particular, the sequence of operations of FIG. 3may be used to display the magnitude of a signal characteristic of asignal received by the system 12, such as that signal's received power,along a route of the system 12. In some embodiments, the sequence ofoperations of FIG. 3 is executed by the system 12, and thus the system12 is configured to generate a display of a signal characteristic alonga route. In alternative embodiments, the sequence of operations of FIG.3 is executed by a computing system 37 separate from the system 12, withthat computing system being configured to generate the display. Thus,the system 12 captures data, including its location and signalcharacteristics along the route it travels (block 102). The system 12,or a separate computing system 37, then displays the route of the system12 along with a magnitude of at least one signal characteristic of asignal received by the system 12 (block 104). In particular, the displaymay include a two dimensional representation of the route of the system12 with the magnitude of the signal characteristic displayed as a colorgradient along the route, or the display may include a three dimensionalrepresentation in which the X and Y axes are used for the latitude andlongitude of the route, while the Z axis is utilized for the magnitudeof the signal characteristic.

As such, FIG. 4 is an illustration of a power versus location screen 110(hereinafter, a “PVL” screen 110) that may be generated consistent withembodiments of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the PVL screen110 indicates the power of signals received by at least one system 12 inrelation to a location, and in particular in relation to a route 112 ofa train 18. Specifically, the PVL screen 110 illustrates a plurality oflocations and the received power level of signals as detected by the atleast one system 12 and displays the power level of signals as a colorgradient on a two dimensional plot. In some embodiments, the PVL screen110 is configured with an overlay or image 114, such as a satelliteimage, relief image, street image, map image, and/or another image(e.g., from the memory 26 or an online location, such as an online mapservice) to provide context for the user to view characteristics ofsignals in the context of a location. Furthermore, and as illustrated inFIG. 6, the PVL screen 110 may illustrate, in the image 114, thelocations of one or more base stations 14 that may communicate with theat least one system 12.

In some embodiments, the PVL screen 110 may be interactable. Forexample, the PVL screen 110 may be configured with user interactioncapture components to determine if a user clicks on a location, such asa location on the image 114, to display information associated with theselected location (e.g., the received power level at the selectedlocation).

The availability of location information enhances the ability todetermine areas where specific problems occur. For example, aftercapturing the data, a user may filter the data for signalcharacteristics outside a specified range and/or above or below aspecified threshold. The location of these measurements can be includedto allow the user to determine where the trouble occurs so they canmodify a network to improve performance. FIG. 5 is a flowchart 120illustrating a sequence of operations that can be executed by the system12 or a separate computing system 37 to isolate locations at whichsignals received by the system 12 outside a specified range and/or aboveor below a specified threshold, as well as to determine the specificlocation information associated therewith, base stations associatedtherewith, and the locations of participating base stations. As such,the sequence of operations filters log data for at least one specifiedsignal characteristic of a signal outside a specified range and/or aboveor below a specified threshold (block 122). For example, the filteringmay include filtering log data associated with the power of receivedsignals to determine which signals are outside a specified power range,filtering log data associated with the power of received signals todetermine which signals are above or below a power threshold, and/orfiltering log data associated with the gain applied to received signalsto determine which signals are above and below a gain threshold. Thesequence of operations then determines the location of the system 12when it experienced the at least one signal characteristic that resultsfrom the applied filter (the at least one “filtered signalcharacteristic”) (block 124). In this manner, the location of the mobilesystem 12 when it experienced that filtered signal characteristic isdetermined.

In some embodiments, the sequence of operations of FIG. 5 identifies atleast one base station 14 that interfaces with the system 12 and outputsthe signals received by the system 12 and associated with the at leastone filtered signal characteristic, as well as the location of that atleast one base station 14 (block 126). In this manner, a user candetermine which base stations 14 are providing signals associated withthe filtered signal characteristics as well as their respectivelocations. Thus, a display may be generated that indicates at least onefiltered signal characteristic, a respective location of the at leastone filtered signal characteristic, at least one base station 14associated with at least one filtered signal characteristics, and/or arespective location associated with the at least one base station 14(block 128).

Alternatively, when problems are identified at a certain location, thedatabase can be filtered with the location of the area that reported theproblems, and the measurements for this area can be examined to identifythe source of problems. For example, FIG. 6 is a flowchart 130illustrating a sequence of operations that can be executed by the system12 or a separate computing system 37 to filter data for specificlocations associated with the system 12 and display informationassociated with those specific filtered locations. Thus, log data can befiltered for information associated with a particular location (block132) such that at least one signal characteristics associated with thatfiltered location is displayed (block 134). In addition, at least onebase station 14 that transmits signals received by the system 12 at thefiltered location, as well as the location of that base station 14, canbe determined (block 136). Thus, the determined base stations 14, alongwith their determined locations, can be displayed (block 138).

Signals received by the system 12 can be decoded along with the locationof the system 12 when the data is decoded. For example, a system 12 candecode the coordinates of the base station signals it receives and/orretransmits, along with other identification information to identifywhich base station signals are being repeated at any particularlocation.

The capture of data for the location and/or measurement information canbe selectively turned on and/or off by a user, configured to runcontinuously such that they loop through an allocated memory space,and/or configured to run in response to a predetermined event and/orcondition. For example, FIG. 7 is a flowchart 140 illustrating asequence of operations to determine whether to commence logging of datain the system 12 consistent with embodiments of the invention. Inparticular, the system 12 initially determines whether logging has beenselectively activated by a user (block 142). When the logging featurehas not been activated by a user (“No” branch of decision block 142),the system 12 again loops to detect when logging has been selectivelyactivated (block 142). When the logging has been activated (“Yes” branchof decision block 142), the system 12 activates diagnostic and locationlogging and logs data associated with the system 12, such as thelocation, speed, and direction of travel of the system 12, the signalcharacteristics of at least one signal received by the system 12 from atleast one base station 14, the signal characteristics of at least onesignal transmitted by the system 12 to at least one mobile unit 16, thesignal characteristics of at least one signal received by the system 12from the at least one mobile unit 16, the signal characteristics of atleast one signal transmitted by the system 12 to the at least one basestation 14, information about the base station 14, information about themobile unit 16, information about an inside or outside environmentassociated with the system 12 (e.g., the environment inside or outside amobile environment) and the time that the data was logged (block 144).Specifically, the system 12 logs the information in one or more datastructures (e.g., files, databases, or tables in a database). The system12 then determines whether logging has been deactivated (block 146).When the system 12 determines that logging is not deactivated (“No”branch of decision block 146) the system 12 continues to log data andagain loops to determine when the logging feature has been deactivated(block 146). When the system 12 determines that logging has beendeactivated (“Yes” branch of decision block 146) the system 12deactivates logging (block 148).

An additional related feature is location-based triggering of datacapture. To debug certain problems, it may be required to record veryfrequent measurements or measurements consisting of a very large set ofdata. It is not practical to leave these measurements runningcontinuously because they would quickly fill available memory 26. Thus,users have the ability to define an area where these measurements wouldbe activated. When the system 12 is within the user-defined area, datacapturing is enabled. When the system 12 leaves the area, data capturingis disabled. FIG. 8 is a flowchart 150 illustrating a sequence ofoperations to activate and/or deactivate logging based on a determinedlocation of the system 12 consistent with embodiments of the invention.In particular, the system 12 initially determines its location (block152) and then determines whether to activate logging based on thelocation (block 154). As such, the system 12 may analyze the determinedlocation with respect to at least one predetermined location at which toinitiate logging. Thus, when the system 12 determines that there is amatch between the current location and the predetermined location suchthat logging should be activated (“Yes” branch of decision block 154)the system 12 activates logging (block 156). After determining thatlogging should not be activated (“No” branch of decision block 154) orafter the system 12 has activated logging (block 156), the system 12determines whether to deactivate logging based upon the determinedlocation (block 158). For example, the system 12 may be configured tolog data only along a certain portion of a route, or otherwise incertain areas. As such, the system 12 may analyze the determinedlocation with respect to at least one predetermined location at which todeactivate logging (block 158). Thus, when the system 12 determines thatlogging should be deactivated (“Yes” branch of decision block 158), thesystem 12 deactivates logging (block 160). After determining thatlogging should not be deactivated (“No” branch of decision block 158) orafter the system 12 has deactivated logging (block 160), the system 12loops to block 212 to determine its location.

In the specific environment of a system 12 it is very difficult totroubleshoot a fault in the coverage of a mobile network as severalspecific factors may need to be reproduced. These include (1) theposition of the system 12, (2) the current coverage from a base station14, and (3) the mobile unit 16 scenario inside of the mobileenvironment, among others. As the specific conditions that cause a faultcannot easily be reproduced, a means is provided to capture informationat the instant a fault occurs. This requires drive test-likecapabilities for the internal logging and diagnostics which are able toidentify the source and condition during the fault without the need totake any additional measurements after its occurrence. Thus, FIG. 9 is aflowchart 162 illustrating a sequence of operations to selectivelyactivate logging in response to detecting a fault consistent withembodiments of the invention. In particular, the system 12 continuouslylogs data into one or more temporal files (block 164) then determineswhether a fault has occurred (block 165). When a fault has occurred oris detected (“Yes” branch of decision block 165) the system 12 continuesto log data associated with the fault for a preset amount of time (e.g.,such as about one minute) in the one or more temporal files (block 166)then stores the data in the temporal files as one or more respective logfiles in the memory of the system 12 (block 167) in response todetecting a fault. However, when the system 12 determines that a faulthas not occurred (“No” branch of decision block 165) the system 12determines whether a predetermined period of time has expired (block168). When the predetermined period of time has expired (“Yes” branch ofdecision block 168) the system 12 deletes the data in the one or moretemporal files (e.g., by deleting the actual data in the files or simplydeleting the files) (block 169) and the sequence of operations returnsto block 164. However, when the predetermined period of time has notexpired (“No” branch of decision block 168) the sequence of operationsreturns to block 164. In this manner, the system 12 is able toselectively log data for a short period of time before a fault as wellas a short period of time after an fault. It does this by logging datainto the one or more temporal files, then storing the one or moretemporal files when there is a fault. Otherwise, data associated withthe one or more temporal files is deleted. Thus, a user may be able todetermine exactly what was occurring at the system 12 just before thefault, at the time of the fault, and just after the fault along with thelocation and conditions of the system 12 and its environment. Inalternative embodiments, the system 12 may be configured to beginlogging as soon as a fault is detected and keep logging for apredetermined time period after that fault is detected. As such, thesystem 12 may only detect information associated with that fault as wellas information shortly after that fault is detected.

Embodiments of the invention implemented at the system 12 level providethe system 12 with location based diagnostics capable of determining thecause of a coverage malfunctions for end users in a mobile environment.Its internal algorithm is able to analyze all information related to theinput and the output of the system 12 and can further determine thecause of possible failures to either the base stations 14 external tothe system 12 or the system 12 itself at any time and location.Furthermore all operating conditions can be fully documented with logfile.

One exemplary procedure to determine a fault in the coverage of a mobilenetwork involves the following steps: (1) the determination of inputsignals, their frequency, quality (C/I, EMV, or MER), signal strength,and signal type with data identifying the beacon associated with thoseinput signals (BCCH, MNC, MCC, CID, BCC, NCC, etc.) (2) thedetermination of output signals using the same list of parameters as in(1), (3) comparing parameters determined in (1) and (2) and raisingalarms if they differ by more than a predetermined margin (which, insome embodiments, is likely to indicate problems with the system 12),and (4) comparing parameters in (1) with either previously determineddata or a predefined threshold and raising an alarm condition if thedifference is above or below a threshold or previously taken data plusor minus some margin. It will be appreciated that similar measurementsmay be taken for both downlink and uplink signals and/or time slotssimultaneously to identify possible problems in the uplink signals atthe same time.

An additional function allows the complete analysis of the mobilenetwork coverage in the donor path in every location of the mobilenetwork. The system 12 acts as an autonomous drive test tool that, ifprovisioned with enough memory space, allows the continuous analysis ofthe conditions of the mobile network. With its location sensors, thesystem 12 can even compare previous coverage levels and quality withcurrent values and signal an alarm in case of significant changes.Alternatively, the analysis might only be limited to a certaingeographic zone and triggered by the location of the system 12. Thisallows the specific monitoring of previously identified problem zones.

For example, FIG. 10 is a flowchart 170 illustrating a sequence ofoperations to indicate alarms and/or errors when signal characteristicsof signals received and transmitted by the system 12 vary by more than apredetermined margin consistent with embodiments of the invention. Inparticular, the sequence of operations determines a signalcharacteristic of a signal received by the system 12 (block 172) as wellas a signal characteristic of a signal output by the system 12 (block174). The system 12 then compares the input and output signalcharacteristics (block 176). In particular, the sequence of operationscompares the input and output signal characteristics and determines ifthey vary by more than a predetermined margin (block 178). For example,a system 12 may suffer an internal error when the power of outputsignals of the system 12 (e.g., to the mobile units 16 or to the basestations 14) are significantly less than power of the input signals(e.g., respectively from the base stations 14 or from the mobile units16). When the signal characteristics vary by more than the predeterminedmargin (“Yes” branch of decision block 178) an error and/or alarm isindicated (block 180). When the signal characteristics do not vary bymore than the predetermined margin (“No” branch of decision block 178)or after an error and/or alarm is indicated (block 180), the sequence ofoperations ends.

Also for example, FIG. 11 is a flowchart 190 illustrating a sequence ofoperations to indicate alarms and/or errors when a signal characteristicdoes not meet a predetermined threshold and/or when that signalcharacteristic varies from a previously determined signal characteristicof a different signal consistent with embodiments of the invention. Insome embodiments, the sequence of operations of FIG. 11 is executed bythe system 12, and thus the system 12 automatically determines alarms orerrors. In alternative embodiments, the sequence of operations of FIG.11 is executed by a computing system separate from the system 12, whichseparately indicates alarms or errors. In particular, the sequence ofoperations determines a first signal characteristic of a first signaland compares that first signal characteristic to a predeterminedthreshold (block 192), then determines if the first signalcharacteristic is acceptable with relation to the threshold (block 194).For example, the signal characteristic may be a power of the signal, andthe threshold may be the minimal power at which an intelligible signalcan be repeated by the system (which may be a repeater 12 a or adistributed system 12 b). As such, when the first signal characteristicis not acceptable (“No” branch of decision block 194) an error or alarmis indicated (block 196). When the first signal characteristic isacceptable (“Yes” branch of decision block 196) the first signalcharacteristic is compared to a corresponding second signalcharacteristic of a second signal that has been previously determined(block 198). When the first and second signal characteristics vary bymore than a predetermined amount (“Yes” branch of decision block 200),which may indicate a problem with the system 12, an error or alarm isindicated (block 196). When the characteristics do not vary by more thana predetermined amount (“No” branch of decision block 200), or after anerror or alarm is indicated (block 196), the sequence of operationsends.

In some embodiments, information is generated from the log data thatdocuments current and past performance of a system 12. In particular,FIG. 12 is a location/trace screen 210 that illustrates the location ofa system 12 and its related signal characteristics. In some embodiments,and as illustrated in FIG. 12, a user may select a particular instanceof data in a GPS trace location area as at 212 (e.g., a particular valuein the “GPS TRACE” area) and view the signal characteristics associatedwith that selected instance of data in an RF trace location area as at214 (e.g., in the “RF TRACE” area). In this manner, a user can manuallyview location data and signal characteristics associated therewith.However, this is often time consuming. In specific embodiments, for eachinstance of data in the GPS trace location area 212 (as illustrated inFIG. 12, there are four instances of data), the location/trace screen210 indicates a local timestamp of the data generated by the system 12at the time the data was captured in the column labeled “TIME,” as wellas a coordinated universal time (“UTC”) timestamp reported from the GPSreceiver device 34 at the time the data was captured in the columnlabeled “UTC.” The location/trace screen 210 further indicates, at thetime the data was captured, the latitude, longitude, altitude, speed,and radial direction reported by the GPS receiver device 34 in therespective “LATITUDE,” “LONGITUDE,” “ALTITUDE,” “SPEED,” and “DIRECTION”columns. In addition, the location/trace screen 210 further indicatesthe number of satellites that the GPS receiver device 34 receivessignals from (or “views”) in the “VIEW” column, as well as the satellite“fix” in the “FIX” column. The values for the satellite fix are “00” forno fix, “10” for a 2D fix, and “11” for a 3D fix. Finally, thelocation/trace screen 210 further indicates the horizontal dilution ofprecision (as calculated by the controller 24 of the system 12 or ascalculated by the GPS receiver device 34) in the “HDoP” column. Thehorizontal dilution of precision uses the geometry of the satellites todetermine the level of precision in the signals therefrom and may rangeon a scale from 1.0 (the best possible reading) to 25.0 (the worstpossible reading).

In addition to the GPS trace area 212, the location/trace screen 210also includes the RF trace area 214 that indicates signalcharacteristics associated with a particular instance of data. Asillustrated in FIG. 12, the first instance of data in the GPS trace area212 has been selected, resulting in the RF trace area 214 beingpopulated with signal characteristics associated with that particularinstance of data. In specific embodiments, the RF trace area 214includes a “MESSAGE” column to indicate the type of message received, atimestamp of the local time the instance of data was logged in a “TIME”column, as well as an indication of which module of the system 12 (e.g.,which repeater 12 a or distributed antenna system 12 b) reported thedata in a “MODULE” column. Additionally, the RF trace area 214 includesa frame indication of the data in the signal in a “FRAME” column (whichmay range from 0 to 10000) and a frame sequence indication of the datain the signal in a “FRAME SEQ” column (with the frame sequence beingincremented when there is a change in the gain of the signal above apredetermined level, each repeater 12 a and/or distributed antennasystem 12 b of the system 12 tracking its individual frame sequence).The RF trace area 214 additionally includes a count of the remainingtrace measurements for multiple message traces in a “TRC COUNT” column.

In some embodiments, the RF trace area 214 further includes a groupindication of the number corresponding to a subband “group” from whichthe data is reported in the “GROUP” column as well as a gain indicationof the group in dB in a “GAIN” column. The RF trace area 214 furtherincludes a peak received signal strength indicator for the group in dBfull scale units (“dBfs”) in a “Pk RSSI dBfs” column, a peak receivedsignal strength indicator for the group in dBm in a “Pk RSSI dBm”column, a predicted received signal strength indicator for the group indBfs in a “PRED RSSI dBfs” column, a predicted received signal strengthindicator for the group in dBm in a “PRED RSSI dBm” column, an averagevalue of the received signal strength indicator in dBfs in an “AVG RSSIdBfs” column, and an average value of the received signal strengthindicator in dBm in an “AVG RSSI dBm” column.

Additionally, embodiments of the invention allow the automaticgeneration of predefined reports documenting the current and pastperformance of the system 12. For example, a report of the coveragesignal level with an indication of the most probable location of a basestation can be shown on a map display, such as illustrated in FIG. 4.Moreover, FIG. 13 is an illustration of a log file selection andinformation screen 220 (“file screen” 220) that may be displayed by anoutput device in which a user may select files to upload to viewinformation associated therewith. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the filescreen 220 includes a file selection module 222, a system selectionmodule 224, a group selection module 226, a view selection module 228, afront-end trace selection module 230, a group trace selection module232, and a preview module 234. The file selection module 222 allows auser to specify log files to load to view information associatedtherewith. In particular, the file selection module 222 allows a user toload up to three log files. In some embodiments, the program code forthe file selection module 222 looks for the log files in a particulardirectory of a system 12 and/or computing system such that the user cansimply type in the name of the log files. In alternative embodiments,the program code for the file selection module 222 includes calls to afile selection utility, such as a Windows® file selection dialog box, tospecify which files to include. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the user hasloaded a sample log file (e.g., “SAMPLE.TXT”) that contains sampleinformation about at least one system 12, a location log file (e.g.,“GPS_DATA.TXT”) that contains location information associated with atleast one system 12, and a modification log file (e.g., “MODINFO.TXT”)that contains information about the modification of the configurablesettings of the at least one system 12. The user loads at least one logfile by selecting a “Load File(s)” button 236 or clears selected logfiles by selecting a “Clear” button 238.

In the system selection module 224, the user may select a specificsystem 12 (e.g., a specific repeater 12 a or distributed antenna system12 b) to view information associated therewith. Similarly, in the groupselection module 226, the user may select a group of systems 12 to viewinformation associated therewith. In particular, a plurality of systems12 may be configured on a particular mobile environment. A subset ofthese systems 12 may be configured into a group. For example, the train18 may be configured with four systems 12 (e.g., four homogenous orheterogeneous systems 12). The two systems 12 closest to the front ofthe train 18 may be configured in a first group, while the two systems12 closest to the rear of the train 18 may be configured in a secondgroup. As such, a user may view information about a plurality of systems12 individually or in defined groups. One having ordinary skill in theart will further appreciate that a user may view information about theplurality of systems 12 together. The user clears a selected system 12by selecting a “Reset” button 240, or clears a selected group of systems12 by selecting a “Reset” button 242. In the view selection module 228,the user may select an option from a drop down selection 244 to view agraph or histogram, such as in the preview module 234, as a separatefigure, or a subplot that includes selected information.

In the front-end trace selection module 230, the user may select a traceto view associated with a system 12. For example, the user may select toview a graph of the gain of signals received by a particular system 12over time, the received power of signals received by the system 12 overtime, a histogram of the received power of signals received by thesystem 12, as well as a histogram of received power changes for signalsreceived by the system 12. The user may select to view the disclosedinformation by selecting corresponding check boxes in the front-endtrace selection module 230. In addition, one having ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate that the user may select additional data toview, such as the change in gain of signals received by the system 12over time, the received power prediction error of the system 12 overtime (e.g., the predicted error in power of signals that will bereceived by the system 12 over time, such as during the time when thatsystem 12 is moving along a route), the received power of signalsreceived by the system 12 in relation to a time or location, and afigure illustrating BCCH information associated with the system 12 inrelation to a time or location.

In the group trace selection module 232, the user may select a trace toview associated with a system 12. For example, the user may select toview a graph of the gain of signals received by a group of repeatersover time, the received power of signals received by the group ofsystems 12 over time, a histogram of the received power of signalsreceived by the group of systems 12, as well as a histogram of receivedpower changes for signals received by the group of systems 12. Similarlyto the front-end trace selection module 220, the user may select to viewthe disclosed information by selecting corresponding check boxes in thegroup trace selection module 232. In addition, one having ordinary skillin the art will appreciate that the user may select additional data toview, such as the change in gain of signals received by the group ofsystems 12 over time, the received power prediction error of a group ofsystems 12 over time (e.g., the predicted error in power of signals thatwill be received by the group of systems 12 over time, such as duringthe time when that group of systems 12 is moving along a route), thereceived power of signals received by the group of systems 12 inrelation to a time or location, and a figure illustrating BCCHinformation associated with the group of systems 12 in relation to atime or location.

The user may generate plots, subplots, figures, or other histograms byselecting the “Generate Report(s)” button 146, or clear plots, subplots,figures, or other histograms by selecting the “Clear Axes” button 148.

In some embodiments, a user can view various additional measurementsfrom a system 12, such as breakdowns of specific signal characteristicsover time or histograms associated therewith. For example, FIG. 14 is anillustration of a system screen 250 that illustrates the gain of signalsreceived by a system 12 over time in a first plot 252, the receivedpower of signals received by a system 12 over time in a second plot 254,as well as a histogram indicating the received power of signals receivedby the system 12 in a third plot 256. Alternatively, the user can viewvarious information about a group of systems 12. As another example,FIG. 15 is an illustration of a group screen 260 that illustrates ahistogram of the power of signals received by a first group of systems12 in a first plot 262, a histogram of the power of signals received bya second group of systems 12 in a second plot 264, as well as ahistogram indicating the power of signals received by a third group ofsystems 12 in a third plot 266.

Typically, one of the challenges of designing a system 12 is designingan effective automatic gain control circuit, such as AGC 39, that reactsquickly to changing donor signal levels, but not reacting so quickly asto impair the signal fidelity or adversely affect the power control loopthat operates between the base stations 14 and mobile units 16 thatcommunicate through the system 12. Typically, the AGC circuits 39 oralgorithms operate by reacting to changes in the received signalstrength. Embodiments of the invention improve AGC circuit 39performance by providing a system 12 that anticipates changes in signalstrength using the location of the system 12 and the path it is takingalong with the location of the sources of the signals it is repeatingalong with stored profiles of the typical received signal strength inthe area through which the system 12 is moving.

The system 12 anticipates received signal strength changes as it movesthrough different areas based on previously determined measurements andlocation information it recorded during prior passages through the sameareas or otherwise obtained from the computing system 37 or anothersystem 12. The system 12 is configured to use this past information toproactively make appropriate AGC changes in expectation of the signalchanges occurring instead of after the fact. This increases the averagedynamic range of the system 12 because it needs to maintain less marginfor changes in received signal strength, and it reduces the probabilityof clipping or saturating in the signal path. Additionally, the timeaveraging parameters of the AGC algorithm are lengthened or shorteneddepending on the expected rate of signal strength change based upon thecurrent speed and/or location of the system 12.

The expected signal strength is obtained through several methods inaccordance with features of the present invention. One embodiment of theinvention decodes geographic coordinates transmitted by the signalsources and make adjustments based on location. The system 12 decodesthese coordinates, and by comparing the coordinates of the signal source(e.g., base stations 14) with the coordinates of the system 12, thesystem 12 anticipates how the signal level of the received signal willchange due to the change in distance between the transmitter andreceiver.

Another embodiment of the invention involves the system 12 learning howthe signal levels change relative to the location on the system 12.Oftentimes, a system 12 follows a well-defined path (for instance if thesystem 12 is in a train 18). The system 12 can generate and maintain asignal level vs. location database to help it anticipate received signallevels as it travels a particular path. Alternatively, the signalstrength vs. location database may be uploaded to the system 12 from anexternal source. This can be a general data base, covering all the areaswhere the system 12 might be located, or a more specific databasetailored for the specific path that the system 12 would follow. Thisdatabase could also include the location of the base stations 14 of thesignal sources that will be received by the system 12.

Another embodiment uses features from other embodiments combined. Signalvs. location information can be measured and recorded by a system 12, aswell as the decoded locations of the signals received by the system 12,and then this data is periodically uploaded to a central location wherethe data from many systems 12 can be gathered and analyzed to produce acombined signal strength vs. location database. This combined data basecan then be downloaded in whole or in part to system 12.

Thus, FIG. 16 is a flowchart 270 illustrating a sequence of operationsto indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable settingof at least one system 12 in response to a location, speed, and/ordirection of travel of the system 12 along with its relation to thelocation of a base station 14 consistent with embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments, the sequence of operations of FIG. 16 isexecuted by a system 12, and thus the system 12 automatically makes theadjustment to its configurable settings. In alternative embodiments, thesequence of operations of FIG. 16 is executed by a computing systemseparate from the system 12, wherein the results of how to adjust atleast one setting of the system 12 are loaded into the system 12 oncedetermined. In particular, the sequence of operations determines thelocation, speed, and/or direction of travel for at least one system 12(block 272) and determines the location of at least one base station 14that communicates with the system 12 at the location that has beendetermined for the system (block 274). The sequence of operations thendetermines whether to change a configurable setting of the system 12based on expected changes in distance between the system 12 and the basestation 14 that is in contact with the system (block 276). For example,if the system 12 is moving toward a base station 14, it may beadvantageous to reduce the gain applied to signals received from thebase station 14 as the system 12 moves toward it to reduce signal noise,prevent signal interference, and/or protect the components of therepeater. Correspondingly, and also for example, if the system 12 ismoving away from a base station 14, it may be advantageous to increasethe gain applied to signals received from the base station 14 as thesystem 12 moves away from it to increase the power of the repeatedsignals. In the above examples, the rate of change of a setting of thesystem 12 may be based upon the speed of the system 12 relative to thebase station 14. For example, the faster the speed of the system 12relative to the base station 14, the faster the adjustment of itssetting.

Thus, when the sequence of operations determines to change a system 12setting (“Yes” branch of decision block 276), an adjustment of at leastone configurable setting of the at least one system 12 based upon how atleast one signal characteristic of at least one signal from the at leastone base station 14 will change due to the expected change in distancebetween the at least one system 12 and the at least one base station 14is indicated and/or made (block 278). For example, the gain of thesystem 12 may be increased as the system 12 moves away from the basestation 14, the gain of signals received by the system 12 may bedecreased as the system 12 moves away from the base station 14, thesystem 12 may filter more noise from signals as the system 12 moves awayfrom the base station 14, etc. When the sequence of operationsdetermines not to change a system 12 setting (“No” branch of decisionblock 276) or after an adjustment has been indicated and/or made (block278), the sequence of operations may proceed back to block 272 todetermine the location, speed, and/or direction of travel for the system12.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart 280 illustrating a sequence of operations toindicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of asystem 12 in response to a measured or determined location, speed,and/or direction of travel of the system 12 and the signal levels andcharacteristics that are associated with that measured or determinedparameter. For example, a signal level versus location database might beimplemented. Various different measurement parameters or characteristicsversus location might also be maintained in a database.

In some embodiments, the measurements/determinations and sequence ofoperations of FIG. 17 are executed by a system 12 to generate andmaintain a database of measurements, and thus the system 12automatically makes the adjustment to its configurable settings based onthose earlier measurements. In alternative embodiments, themeasurements/determinations and sequence of operations of FIG. 17 togenerate and maintain the database, is executed by a computing system 37separate from the system 12, wherein the results are then uploaded intothe memory of system 12 once determined. In particular, the sequence ofoperations determines the location, speed, and/or direction of travelfor at least one system 12 (block 282) and measurements are made todetermine the signal characteristics of at least one signal to and/orfrom at least one base station 14 (block 284). This information isstored in memory or a database to be used in the future by the system12. Then, during operation, the system 12 uses the stored informationand determines what the future or upcoming signal characteristics willlikely be for the mobile system in its travels based on the earliermeasured and stored data (known future signal characteristic) and basedupon the determined location, speed, and/or direction of travel (block286). Thus, the system 12 compares the one or more current signalcharacteristics to the one or more stored or “future” signalcharacteristics and determines whether to change a configurable settingof the system 12 based upon a difference between the current and futuresignal characteristics (block 288).

For example, the sequence of operations may determine that, at aparticular location and along a particular direction of travel, a futurecharacteristic of a signal indicates that its received power willincrease. Thus, it may be advantageous for the system 12 to reduce thegain applied to that signal proactively to reduce signal noise, preventsignal interference, and/or protect the components thereof.Alternatively, and also for example, the sequence of operations maydetermine that, at a particular location and along a particulardirection of travel, a future characteristic of a signal indicates thatits power will decrease. Thus, it may be advantageous for a system 12 toincrease the gain applied to that signal proactively.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the rate of changeof a setting for the system 12 is based upon the speed of the system 12relative to the location of the future signal characteristic. Forexample, the faster the speed of the system 12 relative to the locationof the future signal characteristic, the faster the adjustment of thesystem 12 setting is implemented to adapt.

As such, when the sequence of operations determines to change a systemsetting (“Yes” branch of decision block 288), an adjustment of at leastone configurable setting of the system 12 is indicated and/or made(block 290). For example, the gain of the system 12 may be increasedwhen future signal characteristics indicate that the power level of areceived signal is low. Or the gain for signals may be increased whenfuture signal characteristics indicate that future signals to beencountered by the mobile system require less attenuation. When thesequence of operations determines not to change a repeater setting (“No”branch of decision block 288) or after an adjustment has been indicatedand/or made (block 290), the sequence of operations may proceed back toblock 282 in a loop to determine future adjustments based on the storedinformation.

In another embodiment, measured and stored data from multiple systemsfor a particular location is used by the system. That is, data from themultiple systems is gathered, analyzed, determined with respect tolocation, and stored in a database. The combined database is thendownloaded in whole or in part to the system. FIG. 18 is a flowchart 300illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustmentto at least one configurable setting of a system 12 in response to ameasured or determined location, speed, and/or direction of travel ofthe system 12 and the signal levels and characteristics that areassociated with that measured or determined parameter based upon amapping of data from multiple systems. In particular, the system 12determines the location, speed, and/or direction of travel for at leastone system 12 (block 302). Then, using stored database information frommultiple systems, the system 12 determines at least one future signalcharacteristic based upon the location, speed, and/or direction oftravel of the system 12 and based upon the known mapping of futuresignal characteristics or known locations of base stations 14 (block304). The system 12 then determines whether to change at least oneconfigurable setting of the system 12 based upon the mapping ordetermined location of at least one base station 14 (block 306). Forexample, when the sequence of operations determines that a system 12 isentering an area that the mapping indicates is associated with highersignal strength, or is closer to at least one base station 14, it may beadvantageous for a system 12 to apply less gain to a signal proactivelyto reduce signal noise, prevent signal interference, and/or protect thecomponents thereof. Correspondingly, when the sequence of operationsdetermines that a system 12 is entering an area that the mappingindicates is associated with lower signal strength, or is further awayfrom at least one base station 14, it may be advantageous for a system12 to increase the gain of the system 12 proactively. As such, when thesequence of operations determines to change a system 12 setting (“Yes”branch of decision block 306), an adjustment of at least oneconfigurable setting of the system 12 based upon the mapping and/orlocation of at least one base station 14 is indicated and/or made (block308). When the sequence of operations determines not to change arepeater setting (“No” branch of decision block 306) or after anadjustment has been indicated and/or made (block 308), the sequence ofoperations may proceed back to block 302 in a loop determine futureadjustments based on the stored information.

To reduce the size of the signal strength vs. location database, it maybe preferable to identify ‘hot-spots,’ which are areas where the signalstrength is very high. These hot-spots are typically relatively smallareas very close to the base stations 14. When the system 12 movesthrough these hot-spots, the signal strength can change very rapidly, soby identifying these areas the AGC algorithm can be optimized for rapidsignal changes when the system 12 enters a hot-spot. As such, FIG. 19 isa flowchart 310 illustrating a sequence of operations to optimize thealgorithm to change configurable settings in hot spots. In particular, asystem 12 identifies a hot spot based upon a signal strength or knownlocation of the hot spot (block 312). In response, the system 12optimizes its algorithm to change configuration settings while in thathot spot (block 314). This optimization may include increasing the speedat which the system 12 determines signal characteristics, increasing thespeed at which the system 12 compares current signal characteristics tofuture signal characteristics and/or mappings, turning off logging ofdata to reduce the computational requirements of the system but stillmonitoring signal characteristics to determine whether adjustments toconfiguration settings are necessary, and/or similar measures.

Thus, a system 12 consistent with embodiments of the invention cananticipate changes in signal characteristics by using the location ofthe system 12, its speed, and/or the path upon which it is traveling aswell as the location of base stations 14, stored indications of changingsignal characteristics, and/or additional factors to adjust configurablesettings associated therewith. A system 12 consistent with embodimentsof the invention can react quickly to changing signal levels, and beconfigured to react with such a speed as to prevent impairing signalfidelity or otherwise adversely affect a power control loop thatoperates between base stations 14 and mobile units 16 that communicatethrough the system 12. It will be appreciated that the changing of theconfigurable settings may include additional considerations oftemperature, humidity, and/or other environmental information. Forexample, when the weather is excessively hot and/or humid and a futurecharacteristic of a signal indicates that the power of the signal shouldbe increased, the system 12 may increase the power of the signal past anormal amount due to the weather being hot and/or humid.Correspondingly, when the weather is excessively cold and/or dry and thesystem 12 is moving toward a known location of a base station, thesystem 12 may decrease the gain of the signal from the base station pasta normal amount due to the weather being cold and/or dry.

A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that theenvironments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 3-19 are not intendedto limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. In particular, thesystem 12 may include fewer or additional components and/or becommunicably coupled to more or fewer components consistent withalternative embodiments of the invention. Indeed, a person having skillin the art will recognize that other alternative hardware and/orsoftware environments may be used without departing from the scope ofthe invention. For example, the system 12 may be configured to interfacewith an alternative location identifying device other than the GPSreceiver device 34, such as a radio navigation system device, or analternative satellite navigation system, such as the GLONASS systemand/or the forthcoming Galileo and/or COMPASS navigation systems.Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat the system 12 may include additional data structures, such asdatabases, data tables, and/or other data storage components. As such,other alternative hardware and software environments may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of embodiments of the invention.

The routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention,whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specificapplication, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions executed by one or more repeaters or other computingsystems have been referred to herein as a “sequence of operations,” a“program product,” or, more simply, “program code.” The program codetypically comprises one or more instructions that are resident atvarious times in various memory and storage devices in a repeater orcomputing system, and that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors of the system 12 or computing system 37, cause that system 12or computing system 37 to perform the steps necessary to execute steps,elements, and/or blocks embodying the various aspects of the invention.

While embodiments of the invention have been described in the context offully functioning repeaters, distributed antenna systems, and computingsystems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the variousembodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed as aprogram product in a variety of forms, and that the invention appliesequally regardless of the particular type of computer readable signalbearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples ofcomputer readable signal bearing media include but are not limited tophysical and tangible recordable type media such as volatile andnonvolatile memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard diskdrives, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM's, DVD's, etc.), among others, andtransmission type media such as digital and analog communication links.

In addition, various program code may be identified based upon theapplication or software component within which it is implemented in aspecific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciatedthat any particular program nomenclature is used merely for convenience,and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in anyspecific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.Furthermore, given the typically endless number of manners in whichcomputer programs may be organized into routines, procedures, methods,modules, objects, and the like, as well as the various manners in whichprogram functionality may be allocated among various software layersthat are resident within a typical computer (e.g., operating systems,libraries, APIs, applications, applets, etc.), it should be appreciatedthat the invention is not limited to the specific organization andallocation of program functionality described herein.

Furthermore, while embodiments of the invention has been illustrated bya description of the various embodiments and the examples, and whilethese embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is notthe intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit thescope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages andmodifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Thus, theinvention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to thespecific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrativeexample shown and described. In particular, a person having ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that any of the blocks of the aboveflowcharts may be deleted, augmented, made to be simultaneous withanother, combined, or be otherwise altered in accordance with theprinciples of the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, departuresmay be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scopeof applicants' general inventive concept.

Other modifications will be apparent to a person having ordinary skillin the art. Therefore, the invention lies in the claims hereinafterappended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication system, comprising: at least onereceive antenna for receiving communication signals; processingcircuitry for processing the received communication signals; at leastone transmit antenna for transmitting the processed signals; theprocessing circuitry utilizing at least one configurable setting in theprocessing of the received communication signals, the at least oneconfigurable setting being adaptable for varying the operation ofprocessing the received communication signals; the processing circuitryoperable to analyze information regarding current signal characteristicsthat are associated with at least one of the received communicationsignals or the transmitted processed signals at a current geographicallocation of the communication system with respect to known signalcharacteristics that are associated with the at least one of thereceived communication signals or the transmitted processed signals at apotential future geographical location of the communication system, theprocessing circuitry further operable to proactively adapt the at leastone configurable setting of the system based upon that analysis.
 2. Thecommunication system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of settings areconfigurable and the processing circuitry is further operable toproactively adapt each of the plurality of configurable settings of thesystem.
 3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein a plurality ofsettings are configurable and the processing circuitry is furtheroperable to proactively adapt a first portion of the plurality ofconfigurable settings of the system while leaving a second portion ofthe plurality of configurable settings unchanged.
 4. The communicationsystem of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further operableto receive information regarding a location of a base station incommunication with the system, the processing circuitry further operableto proactively adapt the at least one configurable setting of the systembased upon the location of the base station.
 5. The communication systemof claim 1, the communication system further comprising: an automaticgain control circuit, wherein the processing circuitry is operable toproactively adapt the automatic gain control circuit.
 6. Thecommunication system of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry isoperable to increase the gain applied to the received communicationsignals with the automatic gain control circuit.
 7. The communicationsystem of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry is operable todecrease the gain applied to the received communication signals with theautomatic gain control circuit.
 8. The communication system of claim 1,wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to transmit thecurrent location information to a computing system.
 9. The communicationsystem of claim 1, further comprising: a memory, wherein the processingcircuitry is further operable to store the current location informationin the memory with a timestamp indicating the time the processingcircuitry received the current location information.
 10. Thecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry isfurther operable to receive configuration information from a computingsystem, the configuration information including the knowncharacteristics associated with the at least one of the receivedcommunication signals or the transmitted processed signals at thepotential future geographical location of the system.
 11. Thecommunication system of claim 10, wherein the configuration informationincludes data collected by the system.
 12. The communication system ofclaim 10, wherein the configuration information includes data collectedfrom a second communication system.
 13. The communication system ofclaim 10, wherein the configuration information includes data collectedfrom external to the system.
 14. The communication system of claim 1,wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to determine aplurality of current operating conditions and to proactively adapt theat least one configurable setting of the system based upon at least oneof the plurality of current operating conditions.
 15. The communicationsystem of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of currentoperating conditions includes an identification of a base station incommunication with the system.
 16. The communication system of claim 15,wherein at least one of the plurality of current operating conditions isselected from the group consisting of: a location of the base station, anetwork property associated with the base station, a signal propertyassociated with the base station, and combinations thereof.
 17. Thecommunication system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the pluralityof current operating conditions includes an identification of at leastone network the system is in communication with.
 18. The communicationsystem of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of currentoperating conditions includes an environmental detail of the system. 19.The communication system of claim 18, wherein the environmental detailis selected from the group consisting of: a speed of a mobile platformcontaining the system, an ambient temperature, a time of day, acommunication traffic condition of the system, an obstacle totransmission by the system, logistical information regarding the mobileplatform containing the system, and combinations thereof.
 20. Thecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the communication system is arepeater.
 21. The communication system of claim 1, wherein thecommunication system is a distributed antenna system.
 22. A method ofpropagating communication signals, comprising: receiving communicationsignals with a communication system; processing the receivedcommunication signals and transmitting the processed signals; utilizingat least one configurable setting in the processing of the receivedcommunication signals, the at least one configurable setting beingadaptable for varying the operation of processing the receivedcommunication signals; analyzing information regarding current signalcharacteristics that are associated with at least one of the receivedcommunication signals or the transmitted processed signals at a currentgeographical location of the communication system with respect to knownsignal characteristics that are associated with the at least one of thereceived communication signals or the transmitted processed signals at apotential future geographical location of the communication system; andproactively adapting the at least one configurable setting of the systembased upon that analysis.
 23. The method of claim 22, whereinproactively adapting the at least one configurable setting of the systemincludes proactively adapting a plurality of configurable settings ofthe system.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein proactively adapting theat least one configurable setting of the system includes proactivelyadapting a first portion of a plurality of configurable settings whileleaving a second portion of the plurality of configurable settingsunchanged.
 25. The method of claim 22, further comprising: receivinginformation regarding a location of a base station in communication withthe system, wherein proactively adapting the at least one configurablesetting further includes proactively adapting the at least oneconfigurable setting of the system based upon the location of the basestation.
 26. The method of claim 22, wherein proactively adapting the atleast one configurable setting includes proactively adapting anautomatic gain control circuit.
 27. The method of claim 26, whereinproactively adapting the at least one configurable setting includesincreasing a gain applied to the received communication signals with theautomatic gain control circuit.
 28. The method of claim 26, whereinproactively adapting the at least one configurable setting includesdecreasing a gain applied to the received communication signals with theautomatic gain control circuit.
 29. The method of claim 22, furthercomprising: transmitting the current location information to a computingsystem.
 30. The method of claim 22, further comprising: timestamping thecurrent location information when it is received; and storing thecurrent location information in a memory with the timestamp.
 31. Themethod of claim 22, further comprising: receiving configurationinformation from a computing system, the configuration informationincluding the known characteristics associated with the at least one ofthe received communication signals or the transmitted processed signalsat the potential future geographical location of the system.
 32. Themethod of claim 31, wherein the configuration information includes datacollected by the system.
 33. The method of claim 31, wherein theconfiguration information includes data collected from a secondcommunication system.
 34. The method of claim 31, wherein theconfiguration information includes data collected external to thesystem.
 35. The method of claim 22, further comprising: determining aplurality of current operating conditions; and proactively adapting theat least one configurable setting of the system based upon at least oneof the plurality of current operating conditions.
 36. The method ofclaim 35, wherein at least one of the plurality of current operatingconditions includes an identification of a base station in communicationwith the system.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one ofthe plurality of current operating conditions is selected form the groupconsisting of: a location of the base station, a network propertyassociated with the base station, a signal property associated with thebase station, and combinations thereof.
 38. The method of claim 35,wherein at least one of the plurality of current operating conditionsincludes an identification of at least one network the system is incommunication with.
 39. The method of claim 35, wherein at least one ofthe plurality of current operating conditions includes an environmentaldetail of the system.
 40. The method of claim 39, wherein theenvironmental detail is selected from the group consisting of: a speedof a mobile platform containing the system, an ambient temperature, atime of day, a communication traffic condition of the system, anobstacle to transmission by the system, logistical information regardingthe mobile platform containing the system, and combinations thereof. 41.The method of claim 22, wherein the communication system is a repeater.42. The method of claim 22, wherein the communication system is adistributed antenna system.